News

IT for government and public sector

June 30, 2014 30 Jun'14
DDoS attacks a growing concern for UK, BT study shows

DDoS attacks are a growing concern for UK organisations, a study has revealed
June 30, 2014 30 Jun'14
Efforts to detect terrorism hampered by mass surveillance, says former NSA technical director

US at risk of missing terrorist threats under huge volume of surveillance data, says former NSA technical director
June 30, 2014 30 Jun'14
Facebook under fire over secret experiment on users

Facebook has come under fire for conducting a psychology experiment on 689,000 users without their consent
June 27, 2014 27 Jun'14
Government behind UK cyber security economy

The government says ensuring the UK has the cyber security skills it needs is about defence and economic growth

June 27, 2014 27 Jun'14
Wearable tech must comply with privacy laws, warns ICO

Wearable technology must comply with UK data privacy laws, warns the ICO
June 27, 2014 27 Jun'14
Google begins complying with European takedown requests

Google has begun removing search results in response to takedown requests from European citizens
June 27, 2014 27 Jun'14
German government terminates Verizon contract over NSA snooping fears

The German government has terminated a contract with Verizon over concerns of snooping by the National Security Agency (NSA)
June 26, 2014 26 Jun'14
Child maintenance IT system costs still rising, says NAO

The costs of setting up a new IT system for child maintenance have risen again – to £352m
June 26, 2014 26 Jun'14
Big IT suppliers top government spending on contracts

IT firms are earning the most from government contracts, with HP alone earning more than £1.7bn a year
June 26, 2014 26 Jun'14
NAO confirms plan to review Universal Credit again this year

The National Audit Office announces it will conduct a second investigation into the DWP's Universal Credit project this year

June 25, 2014 25 Jun'14
BMA votes for Care.data to be explicitly opt-in

The British Medical Association (BMA) has voiced concerns that the Care.data programme should be explicitly opt-in
June 25, 2014 25 Jun'14
Cloud access brokers top security technology, says Gartner

Cloud access security brokers are the top security technology trend for 2014, according to Gartner
June 25, 2014 25 Jun'14
UK police forces fail to impress in ICO audit

Only one out of 17 UK police forces audited by the ICO achieved the top assurance rating for compliance with data protection laws
June 25, 2014 25 Jun'14
Council IT chiefs aim to avoid repeat of PSN compliance debacle

Socitm president Nick Roberts reveals how public sector IT chiefs hope to avoid a repeat of PSN compliance problems
June 25, 2014 25 Jun'14
Iraqis use Firechat app to bypass internet block

Iraqis are using mesh messaging app Firechat to circumvent a government block on net access
June 25, 2014 25 Jun'14
Montana notifies 1.3 million residents of 11-month old data breach

The US state of Montana has just notified 1.3 million residents of a data breach in the state health department that took place in July 2013
June 25, 2014 25 Jun'14
Cyber thieves tap over €500,000 from European bank

Cyber thieves drained more than €500,000 from customers at a European bank in one week, researchers have discovered
June 24, 2014 24 Jun'14
Under new management: next steps for the Public Services Network

GDS director of common technology services Andy Beale discusses future plans for the Public Services Network
June 23, 2014 23 Jun'14
Internet of things will put pressure on enterprise security, says Proofpoint

The internet of things will give attackers more ways to deliver malware into the enterprise, says Proofpoint
June 23, 2014 23 Jun'14
Syrian hacktivists find new way to target Reuters

Syrian hacktivists have found a new way of targeting Reuters, highlighting the need for greater supply chain security
June 23, 2014 23 Jun'14
Jihadists in Iraq hijack World Cup hashtags

The militant Islamic group ISIS is hijacking Twitter hashtags for the 2014 World Cup to spread its message
June 23, 2014 23 Jun'14
NSA granted extension to collect phone data

The NSA has been granted an extension of 90 days to continue collecting US phone records in bulk
June 23, 2014 23 Jun'14
CW500: Digital customer engagement

The CW500 Club event in June blew away the myths around digital customer engagement
June 20, 2014 20 Jun'14
Concern over connectivity glitches in Whitehall IT overhaul

Ministers have raised concerns about network connectivity after a government move to a new multi-sourcing model of IT procurement
June 20, 2014 20 Jun'14
Growing call for anonymity online, says Cambridge researcher

While it is difficult to be anonymous online, new technology is making it possible to protect users' privacy better, says a Cambridge researcher
June 20, 2014 20 Jun'14
Government commits to greater transparency for IT contracts

The government has committed to providing greater visibility around suppliers’ performance, costs and revenues when outsourcing services
June 20, 2014 20 Jun'14
UK divided on government role in cyberspace, survey shows

UK citizens are divided on the role of government in cyberspace, a survey has revealed
June 20, 2014 20 Jun'14
Researchers find critical Android security problem in Google Play

Researchers have discovered a critical security problem in Google Play, the official Android app store
June 20, 2014 20 Jun'14
Former UK security minister calls for tighter surveillance law

Former security minister Pauline Neville-Jones has called for the law on internet surveillance to be tightened up
June 20, 2014 20 Jun'14
Android and Windows Phone to get kill switch

Google and Microsoft are to add a kill-switch to their mobile operating systems to help reduce smartphone theft
June 19, 2014 19 Jun'14
BBC sets up expert group of cloud controllers

The BBC has set up a central group of IT, security and user communities to manage its purchase and use of cloud computing
June 19, 2014 19 Jun'14
BDUK to grill local authorities on broadband postcode data

New BDUK CEO Chris Townsend plans urgent review of local authorities to establish which are releasing broadband postcode data
June 19, 2014 19 Jun'14
Government reveals winning bids in superfast broadband trials

Government reveals names of eight suppliers that have won a share of a £10m funding pot to trial superfast broadband in rural areas
June 19, 2014 19 Jun'14
Top European court to rule on NSA Facebook data privacy challenge

Europe’s top court will rule on whether data protection authorities should audit data Facebook allegedly gives to the US National Security Agency
June 18, 2014 18 Jun'14
Don’t let bean counters determine your cloud strategy, says Bank of England CIO

John Finch, the CIO of the Bank of England, warns users to be wary of financial promises made by cloud providers
June 18, 2014 18 Jun'14
Tesco Clubcard founder worried about Care.data

One of Britain’s pioneers of big data has raised his concerns about NHS England’s use of data and its Care.data programme
June 18, 2014 18 Jun'14
Deputy mayor of London wages war on Oracle

Deputy mayor of London for business and enterprise, Kit Malthouse, has waged war on the database giant Oracle over its licensing fees
June 18, 2014 18 Jun'14
GCHQ launches pilot to share cyber threat intelligence

GCHQ is to help critical national infrastructure firms defend against cyber attack in a pilot for sharing threat intelligence
June 18, 2014 18 Jun'14
Interview: G-Cloud director Tony Singleton

The future of G-Cloud is safe, says its director Tony Singleton - and it is only going to grow and become more important for digital government
June 17, 2014 17 Jun'14
Department of Health sets out technology priorities for coming year

The Department of Health (DoH) has outlined changes in the way technology and information will be used over the coming year
June 17, 2014 17 Jun'14
Data sharing key to fighting document fraud, says former cop

Sharing data on lost, stolen and fraudulent identity documents would go a long way to stamping out fraud, says former cop
June 17, 2014 17 Jun'14
HSCIC tightens controls over patient data following data lapse

The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) aims to guarantee stricter controls over the use of patient data within the NHS
June 17, 2014 17 Jun'14
UK forced to reveal online snooping policy

A top UK counter-terrorism official has been forced to reveal a secret government policy justifying the mass surveillance of UK citizens
June 17, 2014 17 Jun'14
Iraqi government blocks social media

The government in Iraq is reportedly blocking access to social media sites amid growing armed conflict in the country
June 17, 2014 17 Jun'14
Domino’s breach underlines value of personal data, say experts

The latest cyber breach to hit a high-profile brand underlines the high value of personal data, say security experts
June 17, 2014 17 Jun'14
Cyber security an economic opportunity, says UK government

Cyber security should not be seen as a necessary evil, but an economic opportunity, says UK government
June 16, 2014 16 Jun'14
G-Cloud chief receives OBE in Queen’s birthday honours list

G-Cloud and digital commercial programme director, Tony Singleton, has received an OBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list
June 16, 2014 16 Jun'14
Technology key to secure document future, says UK Home Office

Physical security is just as important as digital security in documents such as passports, says UK Home Office
June 16, 2014 16 Jun'14
Specsavers appoints Phil Pavitt as global CIO

Specsavers has appointed former Aviva and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) IT chief Phil Pavitt as its new global CIO
June 16, 2014 16 Jun'14
House of Lords sets up Digital Skills Select Committee

The House of Lords has set up a select committee for digital skills
June 16, 2014 16 Jun'14
Government removes G-Cloud from list of risk-monitored projects

The G-Cloud programme has been removed from the Cabinet Office’s portfolio of government projects monitored for risk
June 16, 2014 16 Jun'14
Microsoft admits running out of IP addresses for Azure

Microsoft has assured US Azure customers data remains in the US, despite running out of US-registered IP addresses at times
June 13, 2014 13 Jun'14
Government watchdog set for second investigation into Universal Credit IT

The National Audit Office (NAO) is considering a second investigation into the controversial Universal Credit IT project
June 13, 2014 13 Jun'14
Boards need to get behind application security, says Owasp

CISOs are becoming more concerned about web application security, but there is still a long way to go, says Owasp
June 13, 2014 13 Jun'14
Svpeng Android ransomware targets UK users

A variant of the Svpeng Trojan is holding Android users to ransom in the UK and other English-speaking countries
June 13, 2014 13 Jun'14
Apple’s iOS8 set to improve Wi-Fi privacy

Apple’s iOS8 uses randomly generated MAC addresses in scanning for Wi-Fi to make it difficult for advertisers to spy on users
June 13, 2014 13 Jun'14
Cloud suppliers call for clearer guidelines over revised security classifications

Cloud suppliers have raised concerns over the lack of guidance surrounding the government’s latest security classifications.
June 12, 2014 12 Jun'14
UK business not taking mobile security seriously, survey shows

UK businesses are not taking mobile security seriously despite mounting costs, a survey shows
June 12, 2014 12 Jun'14
Government to launch digital marketplace in September

The government’s digital marketplace is due to go into alpha testing in the coming days, ahead of live user testing in September
June 12, 2014 12 Jun'14
UK calls for global effort to tackle IP theft

The UK is calling for international collaboration to fight piracy and counterfeiting to protect intellectual property
June 12, 2014 12 Jun'14
Twitter suspends TweetDeck over XSS security flaw

Twitter has been forced to suspend its Tweetdeck client temporarily to investigate and fix an XSS security flaw
June 12, 2014 12 Jun'14
Legal net tightens on Prism in the UK as police investigate legality of US interception

The US Prism spying programme faces a potential criminal investigation in the UK following a complaint to police
June 11, 2014 11 Jun'14
Cyber crime a top fraud concern for UK business

Cyber crime is a top fraud concern for UK businesses, according to the latest EY Global Fraud Survey
June 11, 2014 11 Jun'14
Larry Ellison lifts the lid on Oracle's in-memory database

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison has taken the wrappers off the company’s in-memory database, trumpeting its 'real-time' performance capability.
June 11, 2014 11 Jun'14
Register to vote online goes live

The latest online transactional service from government has gone live as part of the ‘digital by default’ initiative
June 11, 2014 11 Jun'14
EE drives mobile phone deals with CRM software implementation

Mobile phone operator Everything Everywhere claims a 400% increase in phone deals after rolling out customer relationship management software
June 11, 2014 11 Jun'14
Google to acquire satellite firm Skybox Imaging

Google has confirmed that it is to acquire satellite firm Skybox Imaging in a $500m deal
June 11, 2014 11 Jun'14
Evernote hit by DDoS attack

US-based online note-taking and storage firm Evernote has restored services after being hit by a DDoS attack
June 10, 2014 10 Jun'14
How the FBI is using technology to put customers first

Businesses and public sector organisations are under pressure to use technology to put the needs of customers first
June 10, 2014 10 Jun'14
Government claims further £200m in digital savings

The government has claimed a further £200m worth of savings from digital over the past year
June 10, 2014 10 Jun'14
CGI to support UK radiation monitoring network

CGI will provide application support services to the UK’s Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network (RMNET 3) in a four-year deal
June 10, 2014 10 Jun'14
UK finance industry launches cyber security framework

UK finance industry launches a cyber security framework for sharing threat intelligence, testing cyber security and benchmarking service providers
June 10, 2014 10 Jun'14
Continuous monitoring key to retail cyber security, says Ponemon

Retailers should look to continuous monitoring to tackle cyber attacks, according to a Ponemon Institute survey of IT security professionals
June 09, 2014 09 Jun'14
Cybercrime costs business £265bn a year, report reveals

Cybercrime costs worldwide business an estimated at £265bn a year, a study has revealed
June 09, 2014 09 Jun'14
Google plans to flag censored search results

Google plans to indicate when search results have been censored under European right to be forgotten ruling
June 09, 2014 09 Jun'14
Turing Test 2014 marks historic milestone in artificial intelligence

A computer program has made history by passing the artificial intelligence test set by computer science pioneer Alan Turing
June 06, 2014 06 Jun'14
DWP begins IT transformational programme

The Department for Work and Pensions is starting the first roll-out of its IT transformational programme
June 06, 2014 06 Jun'14
Web apps are open doors to hackers, says Trend Micro

Web applications are very often an open door to hackers, says security company Trend Micro
June 06, 2014 06 Jun'14
Heartbleed leads to discovery of more OpenSSL flaws

Following Heartbleed, six more OpenSSL vulnerabilties have been discovered
June 06, 2014 06 Jun'14
Microsoft retaliates to China’s Windows 8 spying claims

Microsoft has launched a social media campaign against China’s claims that Windows 8 is being used for US spying
June 05, 2014 05 Jun'14
MPs accuse MPA of disguising Universal Credit in a “veil of secrecy”

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has accused the Major Projects Authority (MPA) of disguising the troubled Universal Credit programme in a “veil of secrecy” by not providing a rating on its current status
June 05, 2014 05 Jun'14
Microsoft calls for US to respect privacy

Microsoft has taken its strongest stance to date against the US government’s far reaching snooping laws
June 05, 2014 05 Jun'14
G-Cloud is lacklustre and needs transparency, says industry body CIF

Industry body blames G-Cloud's lack of transparency for poor uptake of cloud by public sector organisations
June 05, 2014 05 Jun'14
2015 general election manifestos need IT in their DNA

All the major political parties must put IT at the core of their manifestos, with policies to support IT for individuals, businesses and the government, says an influential think-tank
June 05, 2014 05 Jun'14
CIOs should 'leave innovation to marketing'

CIOs should focus on managing the technical infrastructure and leave innovation to other parts of the business – conclusion of a major study.
June 04, 2014 04 Jun'14
Gloucester City Council outsources IT

Gloucester City Council is aiming to save £600,000 through a contract with Civica to provide IT services for six years
June 04, 2014 04 Jun'14
Revised EU data protection in effect already, says lawyer

Proposed changes to European Union (EU) data protection laws are already in effect, says privacy lawyer Stewart Room
June 04, 2014 04 Jun'14
Turkey finally restores access to YouTube

Turkey has restored access to YouTube, two months after banning the site and attempting to block access to it
June 03, 2014 03 Jun'14
Most data security relatively simple, says NHS security officer

Most of data security is relatively simple, says NHS trust information security officer Derrick Bates
June 03, 2014 03 Jun'14
Met Office swaps Oracle for PostgreSQL

UK weather service the Met Office has started swapping Oracle for Postgre SQL in a strategy to deploy more open source technology
June 03, 2014 03 Jun'14
Councils spent less than 1% of IT budget on G-Cloud

Less than 1% of the £440m spent on IT by 26 county councils was invested in services on the G-Cloud public sector app store, says IT supplier
June 03, 2014 03 Jun'14
European retail data breaches largely hidden, SC Congress told

European data breaches in retail and other sectors are largely hidden due to a lack of breach disclosure laws
June 03, 2014 03 Jun'14
Coventry to become gigabit city with core metro fibre upgrade

Coventry City Council entrusts upgrade of its 140km Coventry Core metro fibre network to CityFibre
June 03, 2014 03 Jun'14
Russian cyber crime kingpin sought after worldwide server raids

Businesses urged to take action after a worldwide raid on GameOver Zeus servers
June 02, 2014 02 Jun'14
Clearswift bets on adaptive redaction technology

Clearswift is betting on adaptive redaction to secure best-of-breed rating in content-aware data loss prevention
June 02, 2014 02 Jun'14
Top firms failing on security awareness training, CISOs reveal

Top companies are failing to provide cyber security awareness training to employees, a poll of CISOs reveals
June 02, 2014 02 Jun'14
Cyber threats hiding in plain sight, says Palo Alto Networks

Cyber attackers exploit commonly used business applications to bypass security controls, research shows
May 30, 2014 30 May'14
Highways Agency selects Lockheed Martin for application refresh

The Highways Agency has signed a two-year contract with Lockheed Martin to modernise its applications.
May 30, 2014 30 May'14
UK shoe retailer Office hit by data breach

Data breach at UK shoe retailer Office prompts calls for online firms to beef up security around customer details
May 30, 2014 30 May'14
IT supplier insolvencies fall for first time as economy recovers

Technology companies have reached a turning point as insolvencies fall for the first time in 2014